Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-04-14

why the wrath Of the Almighty is kindled
against them, and not because a poor little
woman wears a flower in her bonnet. Is il
likely the Creator of the universe would be in
such small business as thatE y
~No, by thnder!' exclaimed Jim Sweet.
Then Shirley got her doctor and her medi-
eines and went home. The sickness ragged in
earnest IL took of Hughie Carter and Katy
Tringle. Mis- Simpkins was left widow.
The gossips said her husband was Just too lazy
70 hight the fever, and so gave up and died.
fet Carstone was very i'll. The pestilence at
tackled old Nine Frenchy, Mrs Carstone's
nurse AT last it fastened its grisly clutches
upon that tough old Christian, Deacon Dur
ham himself It shook his ancient bones, it
scorched his cold inwards.. 1t ratified
him soul and body. Plainly here was
the wrath OF the Lord kindled also against
The righteous. 1t wasn't the fair thing. not
at all .... N
There were weeping and desolation and ter
ror In l4lnwood Shirley worked night and
day, tending the sick and helping the well in
all ways in her power. Three persons were
self-constituted committee of relief Thew
were the Presbyterian minister, the doctor
and Shirley. After the first two the girl
came next in authority, by virtue of being
the teacher, partly, but especially by virtue
of being Shirley. These three worked to-
gether with a will The helpless, ignorant
villagers instinctively looked to them to do
their thinking for them and to aid them in
their distress. And the three had their hands
full.
Shirleys sermon had sunk into the minds of
one or two who heard it. After the pestience
abated the sermon returned afresh to them
They thought of it and talked. It was strange
but they had never noticed how unsightly the
common-that camping ground of geese and
pigs-was before.
Once more the three lights of Linwood, the
Presbyterian minister, the doctor and Shir-
ley, laid their heads together. A Village I'm
provement Society, with big II" and rs"
was formed. Shirley was secretary.
When the town dignitaries came to consult
about what should be done with their weeds,
their unclean streets, their goose ponds and,
above all, their boss nuisance, the common,
they found that their girl secretary knew
more than they all put together 1t was Shir-
ley who had heard about drainage and tree
planting and landscape gardening She had
heard him talk of all this many time. The
books he studied were still there.
When the dry weather of late summer set
III the Village Improvement people began
their task with enthusiasm. The enthusiasm
did not lag after the first year, either.
Processes arc tedious. They are exceed
ingly unromantic, therefore not proper for
novel. We skip them, and go on to results,
The hideous common became Linwood
park thing of beauty. The ground was
leveled and filled with solid sweet earth, the
plat was drained. The swamp in the center.
the most unsightly and unwholesome spot of
all, was changed by the magical power of
brains and fingers into an exquisite tiuv
lake, the pearl and soul of the park.
Beautiful evergreen and hard wood forest
trees were planted and clumps of blossoming
shrubs. Winding walks were made. Here
md there the green was dotted with beds of |
brilliant flowers.
The Improvement Society with big and |
did not stop its missionary labors at the
Dark 1t invaded the village The riot act |
vas read to the pigs and geese, and they
canned the highways and the byways at |
heir own sweet will no more. The streets |
we're drained, Strengthened and laid out regu-
arly. Sidewalks and streets were neatly |
'aved, and in time kept slightly and clean.
The patches of weeds in front of the Linwood
ZONES disappeared and their place was taken
" brilliant patches of grass and Towering |
'lants Saplings from tho woods were set
ut in the town, and in time these became
oble avenues of trees, Shirley ransacked
er brain and her fathers books, and reCis-
overed graceful native vines and beautiful
owering trees
The Improvement Society proclaimed loud
nd long the doctrine of mercy to the birds.
The Presbyterian minister preached SER
IONS about it from bis pulpit Shirley
reached sermons about it in her school.
low the birds made the landscape beautiful,
ow they gladdened the earth with their
ongs, how they were mans best friend in
illing insects that destroyed the fruits and
rain for his food, was dinned into all their
linds This gospel was proclaimed alike
rom the pulpit and the school house till that
inwood child who would Airve killed bird
Tould have been daring criminal indeed.
The teaching bore its good fruit in due sea-
IN. Bright winged creatures-the red bird,
le blue bird and the yellow bird-tlarted in
nd out among the leafy trees and played, as
luch at home as if they had been in their
ative forest, as indeed they were not far
ON being The little winged singers opened
leir throats and poured forth sound till the
If throbbed and thrilled with melody in the
cry heart of Linwood
So the wrath of the Lord was averted, and
le village was visited no more with cpl
emics of sickness. Out of the pestilence
'ose healthfulness, beauty and refinement.
inwood became noted far and wide as q
odel village.
City people who sighed for rural life were
'tracted thither in numbers. They brought
ith them additional wealth, intelligence and
ste. The town increased in population.
rom being what we first knew it, Linwoood
'came the ideal, beautiful country town.
And it was Shirley, the inspiring and sug-
'stive, who was at the bottom of it all
lirley, God bless her! the people said